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rife

adjective

ˈrīf How to pronounce rife (audio)
Definition of rifenext
as in filled
possessing or covered with great numbers or amounts of something specified a city government that is rife with malfeasance and corruption

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rife The impetus for this work, according to the researchers, is that drug-resistant bacteria are rife and growing. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2026 This is a more bullish take than the German bank's previous forecast on June 23, written when inflation fears were rife. — Joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026 Tensions are also rife over the mine’s water consumption and the terms of its community-benefit agreement. — Justin Worland, Time, 4 Aug. 2026 Speculation was rife; one unproven theory was that someone had heated the sensor with a hairdryer. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rife
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rife
  1. filled
  2. crowded
  3. fraught
  4. abundant
  5. awash
  6. packed
  7. teeming
  8. jammed
Adjective
  • Taylor received the medication in four pre-filled syringes, but wanted a lower dose.
    — Kara McGrath, Allure, 15 Sep. 2026
  • New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania have introduced or passed legislation penalizing the practice and requiring employers to disclose hiring timelines or remove filled postings, while Texas has opened its own investigation into a major job board.
    — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of filled
Adjective
  • Zipline is putting a fresh valuation on the increasingly crowded race to make drone delivery a mainstream part of American last-mile logistics networks, all while the regulatory system is still playing catch-up.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Some matches at the Asian Games have been played before the official opening to accommodate a crowded schedule which features more than 11,000 athletes, more than the Summer Olympics.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of crowded
Adjective
  • The era under which Aarons founded the organization was a fraught one.
    — Kat Tran, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The conflict has become a test of UCLA’s commitment to let scholars examine fraught topics or invite controversial speakers to campus without interference.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of fraught
Adjective
  • Later that day, The Times asked visitors to share their impressions of a museum that, until now, has lived largely in the imaginations of fans and in abundant social media posts online.
    — Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • According to the Burke Museum, passenger pigeons were once the most abundant bird in North America, numbering in the billions and accounting for close to 40% of the continent’s land birds when European settlers arrived in the 19th century.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of abundant
Adjective
  • My public screening was awash — nearly literally — with sniffles and sobs.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Even way back then, in 2021, social platforms were awash in fake views, fake likes, fake traffic, and fake engagement.
    — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of awash
Adjective
  • The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District received thousands of angry emails and held packed webinars and meetings to hear resident feedback.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Reserve one bag for library books, a handful for groceries and another for packed lunches.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of packed
Adjective
  • The new findings are confounding scientists’ expectations, raising questions about how exactly molecules can encounter their reactive partners in a teeming, crowded space — and therefore how cells can possibly function.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 18 Feb. 2026
Definition of teeming
Adjective
  • There are a number of ways to find your way if GPS is jammed, spoofed, or just isn't there.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2026
  • In a wartorn country where air travel is too perilous to even consider, the roads are the obvious option, but are jammed, precarious, and cursed with long, torturous border queues.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of jammed

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Cite this Entry

“Rife.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rife. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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